In article <bg6i5l$9n7vu$1@ID-105084.news.uni-berlin.de>, 
kgowenNOSPAM@myfastmail.com says...
> Subject: Re: Americans aren't so lazy after all
> From: "Kevin Gowen" <kgowenNOSPAM@myfastmail.com>
> Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan, soc.culture.canada, soc.culture.europe, alt.space.monkey.invaders, alt.abortion, alt.nuke.europe, alt.spacebastards, az.general, alt.nuke.the.usa
> 
> Pat Winstanley wrote:
> > In article <20030729162618.372EB5ED80@mail.zedz.net>, omphalos@wp.pl
> > says...
> >> On Tue 29 Jul 2003 12:03:37p, rfischer@bolt.sonic.net (Ray Fischer)
> >> wrote in news:bg65sp$qc4$1@bolt.sonic.net:
> >>
> >>> Omphalos  <omphalos@wp.pl> wrote:
> >>>> Angkor  <void@what.nop> wrote in
> >>>>>  "Omphalos" <omphalos@wp.pl>
> >>>>>>  Angkor  <void@what.nop> wrote in
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>> The american may have the highest income, or the best choice
> >>>>>>>>> of foods, but does he have the best life? More of his people
> >>>>>>>>> are in prisons than in any country on earth
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> That's because we actually punish those who break the law.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> That's because you have so many more who break the law than any
> >>>>>>> other country on God's earth.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Wrong.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> You have the highest per capita of your population in prison.
> >>>>> You are the most criminal society on the planet - deal with it.
> >>>>
> >>>> So what?
> >>>
> >>> Idiot.
> >>>
> >>>> At least we won't end up like Western Europe, where in 50 years the
> >>>> population will be half of what it is today while the US will
> >>>> continue growing.
> >>>
> >>> Like any other 3rd world country.
> >>
> >> So, the United States, with the most powerful economy in the world,
> >> is a 3rd world nation? You must be some sort of a liberal fanatic.
> >>
> >> While the United States will continue to experience economic growth
> >> over the next few decades, Western Europe will become bankrupt
> >> trying to find out how to still pay for all their massive social
> >> programs with a lot less people and negative population growth.
> >>
> >> Europe will continue to see its influence in the world decline even
> >> further over the next 50 years even more than it has in the previous
> >> 50.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-124.html
> 
> Wow. There's a recession? You're really pushing back the frontiers of
> economics, Pat. Now, please tell us how this refutes Omphalos' claim about
> the continued growth of the US economy. Please note that over the past 50
> years, the US GNP has had an annual real growth rate of 3.5% and an annual
> real per capita GNP growth rate of 2%.
> 

And the level of poverty of the US population in real terms over that 
time has done what exactly?